IHOP Reveals What Its New 'b' Stands For

This photo taken May 11, 2017, shows an IHOP sign at a restaurant in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

(Newser)
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"Burgers." That's what the "b" stands for in IHOP's name change, which CNNMoney reports isn't actually a name change. It's merely a temporary marketing stunt to promote a new emphasis on burgers. "We are definitely going to be IHOP," company president Darren Rebelez tells the news outlet. "But we want to convey that we are taking our burgers as seriously as our pancakes." His company revealed the meaning of the "b" on Monday after teasing the news last week. An IHOP rep confirms to Fox News that while one restaurant in Los Angeles will change its main outdoor sign, all the others will simply feature "IHOb-themed elements" inside. (A writer at Business Insider guessed as much over the weekend and posted examples of what clued him in.)

"Pancake patrons need not worry," writes Jennifer Calfas at Money. "It doesn't seem like any of the restaurant chain's original items will be changed or replaced as a result of the new burgers." And the company still trades as IHP, she notes. Adweek gives the company credit because it "squeezed a decent amount of juice" out of the move, which will be buttressed by a national ad campaign. "One can infer that the IHOP to IHOb swap is temporary," writes Doug Zanger, "yet stunts like this are generally, when done well, a memorable way to launch something new." (Read more IHOP stories.)